The Black Breath
by Pip4
Summary: This is an AU story of what might have happened if Nob hadn't found Merry on the road and chased away the Black Rider's in Bree. No profanity, slash or sex Please R&R. Chapter 9 is up. Really sorry for the wait.
1. Shadows on the Road

**Black Breath **

_Disclaimer:I don't own anything related to LOTR and I'm not making money off of this. It's just for fun._

_This is an AU story of Merry's run-in with the Black Riders in Bree. Will include more hobbit angst in later chapters. Please R&R if you wish but I really would appreciate it if you didn't flame me. However, constructive criticism is always welcome. _

The young hobbit sat comfortably in a chair near the fire place, warming his hands over the flames. His mind was running through the events of the last few days and was trying to fathom what he might be able to expect in the next few weeks. Normally, this wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that these thoughts contained shadowy black figures that pursued them and a certain gold ring that his cousin carried.

Meriadoc Brandybuck pulled his hands away, stretched, and then settled them to rest behind his head. He glanced over at the door of the small room that he was sharing with his cousins and their friends Sam for the night, as if expecting someone to come through it. The other three had gone down to the common room to partake in the merrymaking happening there. As much as Merry liked a good drink and lively companionship he had been content to stay where he was for the time being. He brought his gaze from the door. As the rest of the group hadn't come back yet, and from the sounds reverberating from the common room it didn't seem likely that they would anytime soon, Merry decided to go for a walk. He got up, stretched, donned his cloak, and made his way out of the room.

Merry stepped outside the Prancing Pony, smiling as a cool breeze blew on his face, blowing his curls back soothingly. He put his hands in his pockets and wandered down the street. It was very peaceful. Almost no one was on the streets this time of day, either they were at one of the inns or had turned in for the night. He wandered around aimlessly for some time and eventually he found himself beyond the glow of the lamp lights, silently gazing up at the stars.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful feeling of coldness, coldness that he new for certain did not come from the wind. Along with the cold he felt an awful sense of foreboding. Both these feelings convinced that it was time to head back to the inn. But as he started to leave he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. Something about the shadows didn't seem right. He then saw why. A darker area of the shadows suddenly moved and shifted around a corner. If Merry hadn't known any better he would have disregarded it for an illusion by the flickering lamplight. But since he recognized what that thing was, it held his gaze and he followed it silently. At first it was partly due to curiosity, if he could find out what the riders were planning, maybe he could tell the others and they could plan around it. But as he followed it more, he realized that he couldn't keep himself from following it if he wanted to. After a while he had followed the form down the road quite a bit, this area of Bree was unfamiliar and less friendly than the street near the inn had. Merry followed the shape toward a hedge where he heard two people speaking in hushed tones, one sounded more as if it was hissing than whispering. Merry didn't dare go any further toward the sounds, though he still couldn't tear his gaze away from where it was coming from. Once again he felt the same sense of cold and foreboding that he had earlier on the road. He also sensed something coming up behind him. Every bone, muscle, and thought in Merry's body screamed at him to move, run, get away from that area. But he couldn't, he was rooted to the spot. His last thought was a sense of fear and helplessness before everything went black.

TBC


	2. Trust in a Stranger

**Chapter 2**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing, please don't sue me _

_Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. Please R&R this one. Again no flames please._

"_Pippin yawned. 'I am sorry,' he said, 'but I am dead tired. In spite of all the danger and worry I must go to bed, or sleep where I sit. Where is that silly fellow Merry? It would be the last straw if we had to go out in the dark to look for him.'" –Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 10, Strider._

Strider looked at the young hobbit that had just spoken. "Wherever he is," he said gravely, "we should hope he returns soon. Even if the riders have not entered the town, news of what happened in the common room with Frodo suddenly disappearing, has no doubt spread. They may not be as fearful as the Nazgul," he remarked, "but spies are no less dangerous or deadly."

He had just finished speaking when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Frodo said.

Strider backed into the shadows of the room as the door opened and a nervous looking Nob stepped in.

"Excuse me sirs," he said, "But I have a notion to tell you that some of the folk coming in recently have said that they've been feeling quite uneasy when outside. In normal cases I wouldn't have said anything, due to the fact that it's only a few people. But taking into account what happened earlier, what with Mr. Underhill disappearing and all, and the fact that Mr. Butterbur sent me out a while ago and I felt the same thing, I thought it might be important to you. I tell you whatever it was I felt, it weren't anything natural that's for sure."

"What exactly was it you felt Nob?" Strider asked, maybe a little more anxiously than he would have liked.

Nob, though slightly startled by Strider's sudden emergence from the shadows hastily replied, "It was as if something evil was about, that part's slightly hard to explain, perhaps it was just a sense of fear. But it also felt very cold, colder than it should get in these parts this time of year I can tell you that much."

Strider grew worried at the news that had just now been presented. He was able to school his features to keep the growing sense of alarm he felt in his heart from his face. He quickly turned to the other hobbits. "Stay here, to not leave this room or go near the windows," he said, in a way that booked no argument at the current moment. He then looked back at Nob and asked the hobbit to come with him. Over the next half hour he and the other hobbit moved all of the luggage that Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin had brought with them into the other room, and then made it to look as is hobbits were sleeping in the formerly occupied room. When they were done, Strider placed a few coins in Nob's hand and asked him not to speak of the switch they had done to anyone, save Butterbur in the event that he really must. Strider then returned to the other hobbits.

Meanwhile, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin were huddled in the room Strider had commanded them to stay in bewildered and frightened at what was happening. Suddenly the door opened and Strider came bursting in. They all had been able to keep themselves from asking questions whenever Strider or Nob came in with their packs but now they could stand it no loner. Sam was the first to speak.

"Hey, now!" he cried, "what's going on here? Why are you moving around all our stuff and not letting us leave. If you're trying to help us this is a rater odd way of doin' it."

"Peace Sam," Frodo said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder to calm him. "Let him explain."

Strider gave Frodo a quick nod in thanks before speaking. "I do not know for sure, but I am almost certain that the riders have entered Bree." Three pairs of eyes suddenly widened with fright. He held up a hand at the onslaught of questions he knew was coming so that he could finish. "The feelings of dread and chill that Nob said he and others felt earlier can be brought about if any of the Nazgul are nearby, which brought me to believe that they are here in the village. If they are then they will most certainly find out where you're staying if they haven't already. If you stayed in your rooms, no doubt that you would be dead before sunrise and the ring taken. Pippin and Sam swallowed in fright and Frodo subconsciously put an hand over the pocket where the ring lay.

"But wouldn't the gatekeeper or someone have raised the alarm at the sight of black shadowy figured on horses?" he asked.

Strider sighed, "They must have left their horses outside and entered in secret" he explained.

"But what about Merry?" Pippin suddenly asked, having been quiet this whole time. "Surely it can't be safe for him out there. We should go look for him, tell him what has happened," he said, worried for his cousin's safety.

Strider closed his eyes for a moment, dismayed at the sound of distress in the youngest hobbit's voice. "I am sorry Pippin," he said at length. "We cannot risk going out there right now, it's too dangerous."

"But Merry could be in danger. What if they found him already? W-what if they've captured him or, or worse." Pippin couldn't bring himself to say the word 'killed'. The thought of any of his friends being killed outright was too new of a feeling for him and he broke down sobbing.

Frodo put a comforting arm around Pippin's shoulders, and held him close, rubbing his back in small circles and whispering soothing words, trying to get him to calm down if only a little.

"Shhhh lad," he murmured. "Easy, Merry should be alright. He can take care of himself, he's got a good head on his shoulders you know that. I'm sure he's on his way back down and will be here very soon."

Strider's heart broke at the sight of Pippin crying worriedly for his cousin. Cautiously, so as not to startle the youngster, he knelt down, and crept forward. He then lifted the little one's chin so that they were looking each other in the eyes.

"I'm sorry that we can't go out and look tonight Pippin," he said softly. "But if he has not returned by tomorrow then we will look for him first thing. I will do everything within my power to make sure that the _four _of you make it to Rivendell as safely as possible. Do you trust me enough for that?"

Pippin contemplated the man silently, tears still leaking from his eyes. He looked at Frodo, who gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod, before looking back at Strider.

"Yes," he said softly, "I trust you."

Strider smiled. "Good," he replied. "Now, the three of you should get some sleep while the sun is still down. I will take watch tonight."

The three hobbits rolled out their bedrolls next to the fireplace which was still glowing and faintly warm, and laid down in them. Before he fell asleep Pippin looked over to where Strider sat gazing out the window.

"Thank you for helping us," he said quietly. Strider looked over back to him and nodded slightly. Pippin then snuggled up in his blanket and soon was fast asleep.

TBC

_Fellowship of the Ring, chapter 10, Strider _


	3. Captive

**Chapter 3**

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of this stuff and I'm not making money off of it. It's just for fun._

_Tails500: Thanks a bunch, I'm glad you think so_

_Marcee: Thank you so much for the encouragement. I hope I haven't kept you in suspense for too long_

_Taiyou Faia-Kitsune: I also hope that I didn't keep you in suspense for too long. Know that I'm honored that you think this story good enough for you to put on your favorites list._

_Kala: Thanks, I was really worried that the last chapter seemed awkward in the way I wrote events._

_Che-chuck: I haven't seen any about it either. I think that's one of the reasons I thought of writing it._

Merry shivered. He had started to wake up woken and the first thing that he noticed was that the air around him was freezing cold. It shouldn't be this cold he thought, even if they were traveling on the road and sleeping outside.

"Perhaps it is those few hours that linger on the edge of night and dawn," he thought to himself in his barely awake state He reached out a hand to pull his blanket up to help ward off the chill. Only, his hand wouldn't move right. His hands were tied tightly behind his back, he realized as he pulled himself fully into consciousness. Upon further investigation he realized that his feet had been tied too and a cloth had been secured around his mouth to keep his cries from reaching unwanted ears. He was lying on his side on the stone floor of a small, dark house

He suddenly remembered everything that had happened. He felt like such a fool for following that…thing he had seen on the road. True, he couldn't have helped it, but that was after he had initially began to watch it, wasn't it? If he hadn't followed it at all would he have found himself in this predicament?

Merry was brought out of his contemplating when he heard laughter. It was not a gay, lilting voice like the ones he had often heard in the Shire. It was a menacing, fearful sound that chilled Merry's blood. Suddenly he noticed something step out of the shadows. It was probably the most horrifying thing Merry had seen thus far in his young life. There were two of them. They were taller than most big folk he had seen. They wore black cloaks that covered their faces. To Merry, whenever he looked at their faces it seemed more as if he was gazing into a smothering black void. The things also seemed to be covered in metal, although, Merry could only see their hands and feet, the rest was shrouded by their cloaks. He knew for certain that these were the things that had been pursuing them. At this thought he felt an intense sense of rage and defiance toward the beings, for frightening and pursuing his friends so. But he also felt a surge of fear. Whatever they had him for, well, it wouldn't turn out to be good.

One of the riders walked over to him, grasped his neck, forced his head up so that Merry was half-laying now, and looking straight into the rider's face, or what it would have been. His neck and back pained him in the awkward position and he tried to struggle away, but it availed him little. The rider reached up another hand and pulled the gag around Merry's mouth down, then squeezed Merry's neck slightly as an unspoken warning for him to not scream.

"So, little one," the rider hissed in a voice that made Merry tremble, "you've decided to wake. Good, now you can tell us who you are and why it was you were following us. Do not tell me that it was out of mere curiosity. We can avoid being seen by passing as shadows unless we either wish to be seen, or someone recognizes us. We did not wish to be seen; therefore you must have recognized us. Why hafling? What do you know?"

Merry just started at the rider. His heart was pounding fiercely with fear but he kept his mouth clamped shut defiantly. The Nazgul shifted his hand from holding Merry's neck, to entwining his fingers in the hobbit's hair. Merry grimaced in pain but still said nothing.

"You would be wise to answer me hafling," he rider said threateningly. Just then the door burst open and two men, one from Bree and a man who looked to Merry like one of the South. He couldn't be sure though, he had only heard descriptions of such men and had never seen one. Merry was still pondering this when the gag was suddenly replaced and his head hit the floor suddenly. Apparently the rider had deemed the men more worthy of his attention and for that, Merry was grateful. He averted his eyes to the floor and tried to steady his breathing. It was then that he was able to discern the words of the conversation.

"…don't know what else it could have been," a gruff voice that Merry figured belonged to the Breelander. "The little one with dark hair just up and vanished. And his two friends seemed less surprised than everyone else in the room did." At this Merry's stomach rolled and he grew frightfully uneasy, although he tried his best to hide it. However, this was nigh impossible. He struggled slightly, desperate to get free and warn the others. But the ropes were strong and tied tightly, so they didn't even give when he pulled against him.

His movements achieved something else though. Merry was so engrossed and obsessed with breaking free, that he didn't notice the footsteps coming up to him. Suddenly a rough hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him upright so that, if not for his bound feet, he would have been standing. He looked up, into the eyes of the southerner.

"Hoy Ferny!" the man exclaimed, "look what the wraiths got." The man addressed as "Ferny" walked over and squatted down to look Merry in the eyes, scrutinizing him carefully.

"I've seen you before," he said at length. "You came in with that little group of hobbits didn't you?

Merry's stomach lurched, so hard that he was nearly sick.

"Not that," he pleaded silently, "don't let them recognize me." He shook his head slightly in denial.

His hopes of not being recognized were soon dashed when the southerner added to Ferny's remark.

"Yea, you did, didn't you? There were three others. One of him had something didn't he?" Merry shook his head frantically. Then one of the riders or "wraiths," as the man had called it came over to him.

"Whatever hope you had in secret is gone now hafling. These men just saw your friend use the ring and we have felt it's power increase. You have two options now," the wraith sai as he once again removed the cloth around Merry's mouth. "You can either get your hobbit friend to relinquish the ring to us and spare his, yours and your companions' lives. Or you can deny us and watch them die before dying yourself."

Merry hung his head in despair, they had barely left the area and already things looked to e the end. But a small voice in the back of his head encouraged him that there could still be hope, even if he couldn't see it and to not give up on his promised to Frodo.

His mind made up he stared at the floor but kept his voice steady and strong.

"I will never betray my friends. I would die before doing what you asked."

Merry's head suddenly snapped backward as the wraith's armored hand slapped him harshly across the cheek, dazing the little hobbit

"So be it hafling. You shall watch us kill your little friends. Then after you witness the ring's return to it's real lord, you will die."

The rider looked up at the others.

"Prepare to leave, we attack just before dawn."

TBC


	4. No Hope?

Chapter 4

AN: I would like to apologize for the long lull in between the last chapter. I have two reasons. First school just got real stressful and I couldn't find the time to stop and think of something and second, I got really confused with some of the events happening in the book at this point that I needed to incorporate so I wanted to write this chapter after I understood it better. I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long.

_Anna: thank you very much, I hope you like this next chapter_

_AliciaF: Thanks, I will try to keep writing well, I hope you'll tell me if you see something wrong. Merry is a great character isn't he?_

_Klnolan: sorry to have kept you waiting_

_Frodo's sister: thankies_

Merry watched fearfully as he was ignored and the riders went about preparing for their attack on the others. His heart beat frantically and he wished with everything in his being that he could get away to warn the others. He knew it was a slim chance due to the fact that first he would have to find a way to untie himself then get through the house. Even if he wasn't being watched he still figured it would be unlikely that his disappearance wouldn't be noticed, even if he did, the next problem lay in the fact that once he got away from the house he would have to find the others again and while he knew where they were, he wasn't entirely sure where he was. His shoulders sank and he felt unbidden tears come to his eyes at the helplessness and hopelessness he felt at the present situation. Frustrated, he struggled and began pulling at the ropes around his wrists frantically again. This only resulted in him rubbing his wrists raw and bleeding and him receiving a hard kick in the side with a warning to be quiet.

With a sigh, Merry laid still and silent until finally a rough hand grabbed his arm and he was hoisted to his feet by Ferny again. A rider approached him and pulled his gag off as it had before.

"This is your last chance hafling," it said coldly. "Everything is ready and we will leave now unless you have perhaps had a change of heart?"

Merry snarled and spat at the rider's feet before answering in a wavering but clear voice.

"I would rather suffer all the torment there is and die that way, then give my friends up to you and see them live in torment under you and your dark lord's hand.

The rider let out a deafening screech and before he knew it, Merry had the blade of a long sharp sword right against his neck and the riders face so close to him and he nearly passed out from the darkness that he felt with it.

"I assure you little one," the rider hissed, "that can be arranged." He replaced the gag again and then looked at Ferny and the other Breelander. "Take him and make sure he sees everything. Let him live the rest of his miserable life with the fresh image of his friends' torn and bloody bodies before he dies himself. There will be a window on the side of the inn that you can have him look in. Make sure you are not seen and not heard and make sure to keep this one alive or it will be your lives to pay." The two men nodded fearfully.

Merry in the meantime hung his head. He couldn't bear the thought off his friends meeting their end this way. He was so absorbed in his grief that he barely noticed anything until he felt himself being hoisted up and dragged out of the house and carried down a dirt road. Merry looked around and realized that he had been kept not all that far from where he had followed the riders to in the first place. The men didn't take the road to the inn, but ducked in and out of alleyways to keep themselves and their "cargo" from being seen.

Eventually they reached the pony. The two men located the hobbits' room and shoved Merry face-first into the window. One man held his head while the other held his shoulders to keep him from pushing himself away. Merry looked in and took in the make up of the room. He could tell this three companions were in there and sleeping as he could see a distinct lump in each of the three beds and he saw Frodo's hair sticking out of the covers of one of them. He writhed and squirmed fiercely in then men's grip desperately wishing to make any sort of noise that could wake his friends and t least get their attention. Ferny lifted a leg and dug his bent knee into the hobbit's back in such a way that Merry found it nearly impossible to move. His desperation grew even greater when he saw the riders enter the room and approach the beds. Then, in one sudden movement they each pulled out a long, sharp sword and began hacking and slashing away at the lumps in the bed. Merry's eyes filled with tears which were soon streaming down his face as he heard each rip and thud of his friends being killed. He wanted so badly to tear his eyes away but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't, whether it was from the fact that his face was pushed so hard against the window or just the simple shock of it all. He watched as one by one the lumps became even more and more shredded by the blades, Frodo, Sam, and Pippin. Finally, when it all stopped, one of the wraiths ripped one of the blankets off the bed and what he saw made Merry's heart almost stop. Instead of a bloody body, was a shredded bolster.

Suddenly he was yanked from his position and dragged back into the alley. The riders came a little while longer. One came up and with a metal fist dealt Merry a blow to Merry's face, stunning him for a moment.

"There was no one in that room hafling," it said as it picked him up by his collar and shook him. "No one do you hear me. Where are they?" it whispered loudly and heatedly not bothering to remove the hobbit's gag unless he gave some sign of answering. Merry didn't and the rider threw him down in frustration. The little one curled up into himself, trembling fearfully but relieved all the same that his friends were still alive for the time being. This was his last thought before he lost consciousness.

"I say we kill him now," one of the riders said lifting Merry up and holding a sword over his chest, "he's caused us enough trouble already."

"No," the one Merry presumed to be the leader at this point said. "We have another use for him." He took the hobbit from the other rider and the small group quickly went back to the house. The rider swung Merry up onto his horse then turned and snarled at Ferny.

"Get in touch with the other little folk. I don't care how you do it just do it. Tell them to meet us in too days, on hour after dusk."

The lead rider hissed a few more instructions for Ferny to leave with Frodo and the others and then swung up onto is horse and galloped off as the others followed.


	5. One Step Forward

AN: First off, I would like to apologize for taking so long to get this next chapter up. I hope that you all can forgive me. I just got caught up with school and everything and I was trying to figure out how to set this next chapter up. Thank you all for your reviews. Please keep reviewing if you can. No flames.

Disclaimer: I don't own it

_In the early night Frodo woke from deep sleep, suddenly, as if some sound or presence had disturbed him. He saw that Strider was sitting alert in his chair: his eyes gleamed in the light of the fire, which had been tended and was burning brightly; but he made no sign or movement._

_Frodo son went to sleep again; but his dreams were again troubled with the noise of wind and galloping hooves._

_The Fellowship of the Ring: A Knife in the Dark_

The muffled sound of a cock's crow came through the walls, rousing Frodo into wakefulness once again. The curtains had been drawn back to reveal the sunrise. Frodo sat up and stretched, looking around the tiny room. He had been too tired when he had first woken up in the middle of the night to see if Merry had come back or, much to his chagrin, to even remember that Merry had been missing. Now he looked and noticed with growing despair that Sam and Pippin were still wrapped in their bedrolls in sleep, but Merry was nowhere to be seen. Frodo bowed his head and bit his lip to keep the growing feeling of fear and even a little bit of panic, from rising to an uncontrollable level. He must have made some noise because after a short while he felt a hand slip around his shoulder making him jump slightly. He lifted his head and found himself looking into Stider's gentle eyes.

"He didn't return did he?" Frodo asked, knowing that his cousin most likely hadn't turned up but still desperately holding onto a hope that maybe Merry had come back and was just somewhere else now. This hope was shattered when Stider solemnly shook his head.

"What will we do?" he asked, his voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

"We will take everything one step at a time," was Stider's firm reply. "Panicking and jumping to conclusions will do nothing to save your friend and could very well put that which you bear in danger."

At this, Frodo clenched his hand bitterly around the pocket where the ring lay and nodded.

"Wake them," Stider said, indicating Pippin and Sam, "tell them what has happened but keep them calm, especially the young one."

Stider went to collect the hobbits meager belongs so that they could get moving while Frodo shook Pippin and Sam awake. The first word out of Pippin's mouth when he opened his eyes and the focused on Frodo was "Merry?" Frodo had had to grab his little cousin's shoulders and hold him hard to keep him from panicking when he was informed with the news, with an anxious Sam looking on. Frodo then quickly explained the situation and Stider's instructions.

"I know that we barely know this man," he added, "and that it still may be hard to trust him even after last night. But if we're going to find Merry, we need to rely on him, he's the only help we have." Both Sam and Pippin nodded and the three got up to help Strider get ready to leave. Before they left, Strider wanted to look at the room that the hobbits originally would have occupied. He tried to get them to stay in the room, not wanting to cause them further distress or worry for Merry but the hobbits would hear none of it and went along with him. When they entered the room Frodo, Sam, and Pippin all sharply gasped at the sight before them.

The room was in shambles. The beds were overturned, the bolsters on them slashed through by sharp blades it looked, their feathers littering the floor.

_Strider immediately went to fetch the landlord. Poor Mr. Butterbur looked sleepy and frightened. He had hardly closed his eyes all night (so he said), but he had never heard a sound._

"_Never has such a thing happened in my time!" he cried, raising his hands in horror. "Guests unable to sleep in their beds, and good bolsters ruined and all! What are we coming too?"_

"_Dark times," said Strider. "But for the present you may be left in peace, when you have got rid of us. We will leave at once. Never mind about breakfast: a drink and a bite standing will have to do._

_Mr. Butterbur hurried off to see that their ponies were got ready, and to fetch them a "bite". But very soon he came back in dismay. The ponies had vanished! The stable-doors had all been opened in the night, and they were gone. _

_The Fellowship of the Ring: A Knife in the Dark_

Frodo buried his face in his hands in frustration and worry. He didn't know how they were going to be able to find, much less rescue Merry and then get to Rivendell without some decent form of transportation. Sam, seeing his distress, put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The morning was turning out to more stressful on all of them than they had hoped. Pippin was staring in shock still at the wreckage of the room and hadn't noticed the calamity of the situation of the missing ponies until Strider said that they would inquire about town to see if there was a pony that someone would be willing to sell. At least that way they would have some means of carrying the baggage.

"You can try but most likely there's no one about with a pony they'd be willing to part with, especially not now," interjected Butterbur. Despite his warning, he gave the group some money to help pay for some of the supplies and said that if they did indeed find a pony, he would help pay for it. Frodo thanked him gratefully and the three hobbits and ranger began their search for a pony.

In most cases, Strider would have asked the innkeeper to help find out if anyone had a pony, but by looking for a pony the group was also provided with an opportunity to look for the missing hobbit. Everywhere that they inquired about a pony, the also asked if anyone had seen a hobbit with sandy colored hair, similar to that of Samwise's. But no one had a pony and no one had seen any other hobbit and slowly, the already failing hope of the group lowered.

Finally, they were able to find a pony that someone was willing to sell. However, the pony was an ill, ragged thing and it was being sold by Bill Ferny, for an extremely high price. At first a trick was suspected, Bill Ferny didn't have the best reputation in Bree. But desperation won over suspicion and the group bought the pony, with the promised help of Butterbur. It wasn't a total loss as they came to find out as Ferny provided them with some supplies, a bridle and some saddle bags.

Eventually, it was apparent that they could no longer tarry in Bree. They still had found no trace of Merry and Pippin, Frodo, and Sam were distraught when Strider said that they had to move on, that the Ring was more important now and they had to leave. Strider hated saying this as much as the hobbits hated hearing it, but he knew what was more important. Even if Merry wasn't dead yet he would be if they stayed and the ring fell into the wrong hands. He held up hope that maybe they'd find a trail in the woods, but he knew it wasn't likely. The hobbits must have known too because his words on this didn't seem to comfort them much. But they knew they had to leave and it was unspoken among them that they would grieve when danger was not so near.

As they were heading out of town, Pippin was absent mindedly fiddling with one of the saddle bags on the side of the pony to keep his mind off of his grief. As his hand moved around the bag, he thought he felt something inside the bag. It didn't have much bulk, but it felt like a tube of some kind. For a moment curiosity came over him and he reached into the bag and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. By now, Sam had seen what he was doing and walked over to him to get a better look. Pippin had unrolled the paper and was now reading it, his eyes growing wide and his face contorting to one of fear, anger, panic, and hope mixed with even more hopelessness. After a moment, Pippin's legs collapsed out from under him and thanks to his close proximity, Sam was able to catch him under the arms and guide him to the ground.

"Steady Pip," he whispered softly into the young hobbit's ear.

"Strider, Mr. Frodo," he then yelled at the other two of the group who had gone on ahead, unaware of what was transpiring behind them. Seeing his cousin on the ground and his face nearly white, Frodo ran forward and took Pippin in his arms to try and calm him down.

"What is it lad? "he asked, " what's wrong."

"Merry," Pippin answered, handing the note to Strider who was standing over him and then clutching onto Frodo as if he was the only thing keeping the world from ending.

Strider began reading the note that Pippin had handed him. As he read, Sam noticed the same change in his face as on Pippin's, though not as drastically. The note read,

_Friends of the hafling,_

_If you have not already guessed, your companion is in the care of the darks servants of Mordor. Their leader demands that you meet him in a secluded place in the wild outside of town one hour after dusk in two days to exchange the hafling they have for the one who disappeared last night._

Strider crumpled the paper up in rage but kept a hold of it as beneath the note was a map of where the group was to meet the riders. Knowing that the note had come from the saddle bag that Ferny had given them, Strider would have run back to Bree, pounded on Ferny's door and demanded to know where the hobbit was. However, his better judgment stopped him. Questioning Ferny would no doubt draw suspicion amongst the people in Bree and it cold also put Merry in more danger.

Strider looked over at the hobbits. Pippin had apparently told Frodo and Sam the contents of the note as the hobbits were now all one big tangle of arms, each holding onto the other for comfort and security. Strider gave them a few more moments and then coaxed them all to their feet. The despairing group walked a few more miles to a sheltered spot that Strider knew of and made camp, ignoring that it wasn't even the afternoon yet. They were all going to need rest and a plan if they were going to do it, but one way or another they were going to get Merry out of the mess he was in now.


	6. We cannot fail

**Chapter 6**

_A/N: Sorry again about the long wait. I promise, next time I write one of these I'll plan it out better. BTW I made some changes to chapter 5 that will influence this chapter. It's not really anything major but it affects this chapter a little bit better than it did. Sorry about it looking updated when it wasn't also. I didn't realize that there was a replace option until after I deleted the old chapter 5 and added the new one._

Merry woke up in a position that he was finding all too familiar, except this was slightly different. He was still tied, hand and foot and gagged and cold. But this time the cold was partly due to the chilly breeze that blew through his curls. He moaned quietly as he pulled himself into full awareness. Part of his still semi-coherent mind wondered why the wraiths had bothered to keep him bound as he knew that even if he was free, he wouldn't be going anywhere in the shape that he was in.

Quietly, the young hobbit took in his surroundings, or at least, what surroundings he could see and process without moving or drawing attention to himself. It was night and his, was in a forest, his tired mind couldn't even begin to figure out anything beyond that. He couldn't see the nazgul, and none had seemed to take any notice of him at the moment. But Merry could feel their presence around him and was thankful that it was just that and nothing else.

Merry tried to concentrate on what he could hear around him, more importantly, if he could pick up anything his captors were saying. He closed his eyes and listened. His couldn't here much, just a gust of wind every now and then or another sound that he would just associate with forest noise. Suddenly, there! His mind grasped onto what he heard, jolting him out of the tranquil state that he had almost fallen into. A hiss...that was it. He tried to focus on it more and it was followed by more hissing that eventually Merry's mind was able to sort it out to a more distinguishable sound. It began to sound more like speaking, but merry couldn't decipher the words and soon realized that it was a different language and he could never hope to make it out. Defeated, Merry allowed his mind to shut down and soon was back in the blissful state of unawareness.

-LOTR-

Frodo was tired, and exasperated and frustrated, and any other word that would define what one would feel if they felt being held back from a goal. He had hoped that after finding proof that his cousin was alive, they'd rush into action and save Merry. Instead, Strider had spent the entire day testing them on mundane things such as how quick one hobbit could tackle another to the ground or strike a flame, throw a stick and other such meaningless, random things, at least to Frodo's mind. Finally, he could stand it no longer and confronted the man.

Strider looked evenly at the furious hobbit that came to him demanding to know what he was wasting their time. When Frodo was finished voicing his complaints, Strider knelt down and replied in a calm steady voice.

"Frodo, you cannot fully comprehend what you are up against in this. I do not either, but I know these creatures better than you do. They will not stop until the get what they receive and when they do, the whole world will fall into darkness. They do not compromise, nor do they show mercy. If you traded yourself for Merry, they would not surrender him; they will kill him when they have achieved their purpose. And if we do not get him back on the first try, they will make him like one of them. I will not burden your mind with all the details, but all you need know is that he will be an unwilling slave to them and their master until the end of time. We must not fail in this."

Frodo swallowed hard at this news and nodded in acceptance to Strider's words. Sam and Pippin had heard the ending of this and were now white faced, and in Pippin's case nearly hysterical. Strider gathered them all together and said,

"Listen very carefully to me; this is what we will do."

-LOTR-

Merry grunted in pain as he was brought back to awareness by and iron hand grabbing his shoulder and hoisting him to his feet. He was dragged through the forest, he didn't know how long, and quite frankly, he had stopped caring. Eventually, the motion stopped and he was pulled up against the apparition that held him and found a fist, holding a long knife resting against his chest.

_This is it._ He thought as tears burned his eyes. _They're going to kill me. I'm going to die._

He was brought out of his musings by a rustling in the bushes. His hobbity curiosity got the better of him and he strained his eyes to see something else. His heart nearly stopped as he saw two figures emerge from the foliage.

Frodo and Sam.

TBC


	7. Rescue

Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Don't own it or plan to make money off of it._

_Sorry that I am the worst when it comes to updating these things. I always kept getting busy or chickening out that I'd get stuck and end up writing something stupid. Next time I write something I'll write it all and post t systematically. Again, sorry about the wait, hope you guys like this chapter._

It took all of Frodo's strength to keep from making a mad dash for his cousin the moment he laid eyes on him. In fact if Sam hadn't grabbed his arm, he probably would have. His friend's touch brought his wits back to him and he shook his head slightly to keep it clear. They each held a leaf of kingsfoil in between their teeth that Strider had given them. The ranger claimed that it would help drive off the feelings they would face when being near the riders. To the hobbits it was nothing more than a weed and so they were a little doubtful when he first presented the notion. But now Frodo was glad they had listened to him. The plant kept his senses aroused and for some reason he felt surer of himself and what was about to happen than he thought he should. Still, he had Sam were fighting hard to stay in control and not despair. Finally, the rider holding Merry spoke.

"We were told that four haflings came into Bree. Where is the other?" it asked.

"He stayed behind," Frodo said shakily, "He and this one are like brothers. He did not think that he could bear to watch this."

It was the truth. Pippin did not think that he would be able handle seeing Merry in the state they feared that they would find him in. And he had stayed behind, only not in Bree. He and Strider hid in the shadows and woods nearby, making sure they were ready to follow through with their part of the plan.

Frodo continued.

"But I'm here. I'm the one you want, the one who disappeared at the in a few nights ago."

This was the most terrifying confession Frodo had ever had to make, even though he knew that the riders already knew of him and what he carried, so it would not have mattered whether or not he denied it.

Merry's eyes widened at his cousin's confession, even though he also realized the same thing, having witnessed Ferny giving information to the Rider's a few nights back. Suddenly, he realized the meaning behind Frodo saying, "I'm the one you want." His cousin meant to trade himself for him, and along with Frodo would go the ring. Merry shook his head at Frodo frantically. He could not allow his cousin to give up the hope of their world in order to save one life.

The Nazgul holding Merry tightened his grip on the hobbit and pushed the knife he held tighter against his chest, stilling his movements.

"Be still hafling," it hissed. It looked back at Frodo along with the others. No one seemed to be taking much notice of Sam anymore. This was it. This small creature was what they had been sent out to find, the one who carried the ring of the most powerful being in Middle Earth. There was no way in the Rider's mind that the hobbit had any notion of what it was he carried. It would be fun seeing the tormented terror in its eyes when they brought it back to Sauron. The Rider also looked forward to showing it that the one they were trading would not be set free, but that he too would be faced with torment for all the trouble he had caused them. He decided to humor the little one for a time longer, let him believe his friend would be set free, before they took them both.

"Very well," the rider hissed. He pushed Merry toward Frodo, who caught him before he could fall as his feet were still tied.

"Come hafling, _to Mordor we will take you."_ _Frodo_ glared up at the rider for a moment before wrapping his arms around his cousin for a final goodbye, the rider assumed.

"_Simple little one, if only you knew," _the rider quietly gloated to itself.

Frodo held onto Merry tightly, struggling not to let his emotions get the better of him, he still had a job to do. Out of the corner of his eye, where Sam still stood, but a little farther away, he saw a flicker of light.

"I'm sorry Merry," he whispered into his cousin's ear.

Merry had been watching the riders intently as Frodo held him. The comfort his cousin offered did nothing to sooth him as he new what was to happen next. He had barely registered Frodo's apology before the Nazgul whipped their heads up to look at something beyond the hobbits. A split second later, Frodo threw himself to the ground, still holding onto Merry and shielded him.

Strider tensely watched the scene unfold as he waited for the right moment from the cover of the woods. When the Ringwraith pushed Merry into Frodo's arms, he signaled Pippin hid nearby with a flint, tinder a small fire pit and torches ready. The materials had been rubbed with tree sap to make them more flammable. Still, Strider was grateful for the way Frodo bought them a small amount of time, holding Merry. Pippin struck the flint and the sap caught, lighting the first torch in the fire pit.

Immediately, Strider took up the torch, drew his sword and jumped from the hiding place. The Nazgul had caught on not long after the first spark had been struck and some came after him while two went to reclaim the hobbits. Strider threw the torch at them and it caught, causing the two to flee into the woods. Strider ducked a blow from one coming for him and fought mightily to keep his ground against the others.

Pippin lit two torches and scrambled from his spot and handed one to Sam, who went to assist Frodo.

"Strider!" Pippin shrieked, gaining the ranger's attention before throwing it towards him and then running to get himself a torch. Strider deftly caught the torch and used it to gain a better advantage against his attackers.

Sam ran up to where Frodo was on the ground with Merry and shook his shoulder, arousing Frodo from his slightly shocked state. Frodo tensed and then, recognizing his friend's touch looked up.

"Sam?" he asked.

"Aye," Sam affirmed before asking, "Do you still have it?"

Frodo felt his coat pocket that had been stuffed with a few extra handkerchiefs, used to try and keep the ring from falling out during the whole ordeal. Apparently it had work because he could feel the distinct shape of the ring inside his pocket and he nodded.

It took Sam but a moment to register Frodo's answer before the two of them sprung into action. Frodo freed Merry's hands while Sam loosened the bonds around his feet.

"Merry?" Frodo whispered and he undid the knot of the gag and slipping it from his cousin's mouth. Merry looked on groggily and Frodo patted his cheek before exhaustedly closing his eyes.

Pippin ran up as Strider finished fighting off the riders, now only down to one. The young hafling was shaking from shock as he aided Frodo in trying to rouse their cousin.

"Merry?" he whispered, "Merry, wake up, please. Merry, you're safe now." Pippin felt tears leaking out of his eyes as their efforts had little effect.

Suddenly Strider dropped in the middle of the group, causing a yelp of either fear or surprise or both from all each of the three conscious hobbits. Either way, Strider paid it little heed. Though he was breathing hard from his battle with the wraiths he wasted no time in scooping up the limp hobbit and settling him gently but firmly in his arms.

"Come," he whispered. "We must leave this place. I will be able to better care from him elsewhere. With that, he set of at a steady pace with three worried hobbits following silently behind.

From The Fellowship of the Ring: Flight to the Ford


	8. Healing

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own it, if I did that would be awesome.

It was cold. It was extremely cold. But for some reason he felt as if he should be colder. The young hobbit lay quietly and tried to take in some idea of his surroundings. He felt calm for some reason. His mind was telling him all sorts of reason as to why he should be afraid. But there was something, some nagging feeling in the back of his mind that was telling him it was alright, or at the very least that it was going to be alright. Merry clung to that thought as best he could.

His senses were coming into sharper focus now. He could fell the muted heat of a fire on his face and he could dimly hear voices, but not enough to tell what was being said or who was talking. There was a sweet smell on the air, reminded him vaguely of springtime. He also realized that he wasn't bound. That finally got his attention. Merry struggled to open his eyes. A gentle touch on his cheek actually did the trick as it startled them open. His eyes opened to take in the face of his eldest cousin, which broke out into a relieved grin.

"Welcome back Merry," was the vocal response.

Merry didn't hear this as his gaze instantly shifted the face behind his cousin. The one of a scruffy man. The one not unlike that of those that had been there with the riders.

With a cry, Merry flung his arm around his cousin and with strength no one, especially him, excepted from the young Brandybuck, pushed Frodo behind him in a surge of protectiveness.

"Stay away from him," he spat. "You'll not get it."

Merry was aware of more voices and a general panic around him. He thought he heard Pippin shouting his name. But his attention was solely focused on the man in front of him.

The rush of adrenaline was beginning to sap his strength. Thankfully, Frodo's arms soon surrounded and supported him. But Merry's eyes never faltered from the man.

"Merry." Frodo's gentle whisper filtered into his mind. "Merry, it's alright. Strider's here to help us. He helped us get you back from the ringwraiths, he's going to help us get to Rivendell."

Merry's struggled to understand what Frodo was saying. When he did, he finally answered.

"You trust him?"

"With my life," came Frodo's confident response. "And even more importantly, with yours." Frodo meant every word, had Strider not been trustworthy, they would certainly have found out during the battle with the riders.

He shifted his thoughts as his cousin became heavier in his arms.

"Alright," Merry said as he fell back into oblivion.

"Rest Merry," he said quietly, "you're safe now."

Strider came over and assisted Frodo in returning Merry to lay back in the nest of blankets that the hobbits had made for him. Pippin and Sam ran over from where they had been working with the fire, Pippin only at the strong insistence of Frodo.

"Is he alright?" Pippin asked, his eyes frightful.

"He is well," Strider replied, pulling blankets up to Merry's neck. "He just had a bit of a scare."

"Didn't think he was up to that sorta thing," Sam remarked, thinking of speed and strength which Merry had moved at.

"Fear and devotion drive us to do incredible things sometimes Sam." Strider then looked up at Frodo, "You have loyal companions Frodo, you should be glad." Frodo smiled but it did not reach his eyes..

Strider walked over to the fire and returned with a basin of hot water and a cloth. A fragrance followed him from the weed steeping in the water. He had called it athelas but the hobbits knew it as kingsfoil.

"Who knew that little weed was capable of that," Sam said as the scent helped to relieve much of the tension in the air. "Never seemed to be anything extraordinary about it."

Strider merely smiled in response and turned to bath Merry's head with the cloth dipped in the water. Pippin, who was holding Merry's hand moved over slightly to give the ranger room but kept hold of the hand.

"Keep him warm," Aragorn instructed in a low voice, handing the cloth to the young hobbit to continue.

"Frodo, may I speak with you?" Aragorn asked, indicating over by the fire.

Frodo nodded and Sam began to move to follow.

"Alone," Strider clarified.

Sam bristled but Frodo stilled him with a nod.

"It's okay Sam," he said, before following Strider over to the fire.

"There's something troubling you Frodo," Strider remarked blatantly.

Frodo sighed.

"They should not be here," he confessed. "Every day they spend with me they are in danger. Don't deny it," he added with Strider moved to say something, "You've seen it well enough with Merry." Frodo swallowed against the tears coming to his eyes. "I can not bare the thought of them dying let alone, let alone being slaves like that. No will, no hope, an eternity of pain and anguish."

"Don't you think that's as much our decision as it is yours?"

Frodo jumped at the voice of his servant and beloved friend and turned quickly.

"Sam...what…I thought"-

"You don't honestly expect us to just leave you now do you?" Sam asked, completely ignoring Frodo's slight indignation at him eavesdropping and went on.

"Merry said it best back at Crickhollow. You can't trust us to just let you go do this on your own. I think after all this we understand much more what we're up against. I'm not about to leave you. Lookin' at what your cousin just did I highly doubt he's about to leave you now. At any rate, he certainly knows best what we're up against. And Pippin…well, I don't think he's one to just up and leave on you know."

Frodo was speechless at Sam's assertion and he felt tears run down his face, both from the love he felt radiating from his companions and still from the stress of not wanting to see them hurt.

"I think you have your answer Frodo," Strider said, laying a hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

Frodo sighed and nodded, a crooked smile on his face and the three went back to join the two young hobbits.

TBC

_So I have two more chapter up my sleeve. One in Rivendell that wraps up the main part of the story and then an epilogue during the battle of Cormallen. I can't promise anything but writing this chapter has given me a bit of a rush so I'm hoping to have more up this summer. Again, can't promise anything, please don't come after me if I can't._


	9. Epilogue

Chapter 10-Eplilouge

_Okay, here's the deal._

_First, I'm sorry for the long wait, I've been trying to decide some things with this story so I haven't posted anything new. When I first started this story, I meant for it to end with them rescuing Merry, him recovering and an epilogue during the Battle of Pellanor. And then at some point I realized that is it extremely hard to do a story about the nazgul here without doing something at Weathertop. The problem? I have no idea what that would be since I didn't plan it. So, I had been waiting to continue until I thought of something. I didn't and it has been hanging for a while._

_So, I decided that I would post this final chapter for you all, which is an epilogue. And, if I end up thinking of another way to write it, I will repost the entire thing._

_Thank you to all who have read it. I must say I've learned some lessons during this which I will use next time I write a fic, and hopefully it will be better._

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Merry knelt on the field of Pellenor. He tried to keep his mind on the task at hand, and keep himself from giving into the feelings of fear and heartache he was feeling. His king had just been slain, the one who had been like a father to him. What made matters worse was that it was by the hand of the same being that had tormented the halfling months before.

Merry crept closer toward his goal. This needed to end, and it needed to end now. A thought crossed Merry's mind. He wondered if he would still feel this way had he not encountered the black riders back in Bree. The obvious solution in his mind was yes. Yes because this being was evil and, regardless of what effect it had had on him, it needed to be stopped. However a small part of his mind jumped in.

_Is this revenge, or is it what needs to be done?_

Merry's hand tightened on the dagger he held. He steadied his breathing and readied himself.

_This isn't about me._ He thought. _This is about Pippin, about Frodo, about Sam, and about everyone else. This is about making sure this creature never harms another innocent._

With that final thought in his mind, Merry lunged and plunged his knife into the back of the Witch King's knee.

As the feeling seeped from his arm another feeling of accomplishment surged through his heart. As he watched Eowyn drive her sword through its helmet a thought came to his mind.

_We're not as weak as you think we are._

The End


End file.
